Aldo Coffee Company

Thanks Intelligentsia

Our excitement for Belle and Andi over the weekend resulted in some long posts.  But one thing we forgot to mention was the incredible support shown by the Intelligentsia folks who were attending.  Ellie Matusak even flew in from Chicago on Sunday to see Belle compete in the finals. 

Ellie was kind enough to agree to drill Belle in Chicago before the event, giving her a feel for what the competition pressure would be like.  Belle's composure was noted by most of the judges and we're certain Ellie's efforts helped on that account.

While we have the usual customer/supplier tiffs common to every business now and then, it is both the quality of the Intelligentsia product and the operation - the people, training and support - that were the reasons we chose them to begin with.

So thanks Ellie, Amber, Sarah, Marcus and Doug for the kind words and encouragement in our first competition.  And Trey, if you're reading this, be well!

Pittsburgh Represented in Barista Championships

We're back from CoffeeFest and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Barista Championships.

Belle was thisclose to placing third in the Mid-Atlantic Barista Championships, being edged out by Michele Granitz, owner of Max Crema's in Fleetwood (Berks County PA). 

Belle finished a strong fourth and we later learned she was in second place overall going into the finals.  Which we suppose makes her for the moment the second best barista in Pennsylvania.  But the top dog in Pittsburgh and Western PA.  We can live with that ;-)

David George of Crescent Moon Coffee in Mullica Hill, NJ was the overall winner with Jay Caragay of Jay's Shave Ice and Coffee in Timonium, MD placing second.

Andi may have had the more difficult challenge since she was competing not just within the Mid-Atlantic region but against national competitors for the Latte Art title.  Her competition included several baristas who'd already competed nationally, including several from the Pacific Northwest, California, the Carolinas and Chicago.  Andi placed eighth overall.

In our eyes both Belle and Andi are winners regardless where they placed.  Both earned the respect of fellow competitors. 

We learned in backstage conversations with several past winners and competitors that they may include a trip up here soon to see what's happening in the Pittsburgh espresso scene as we're now on the map as a city with cafes that can compete with the best baristas in the country.

The national championships coming up in Charlotte the first week of April.  We might be there.

More Great Baristas Means More Great Coffee Places

For some time now we've offered the "Heroes and Legends" links at the bottom right so you know where to go for great coffee when you're traveling.  Here are some other recommendations:

Belle Advances to Finals of Mid-Atlantic Regional Barista Competition

Our Belle is also Belle of the Ball here in DC as both the second youngest competitor and one of only two women to make the finals of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Barista Championships.

The championships will be held on Sunday at noon.

Belle matched her technical skills and creativity against baristas from Maryland, New Jersey, DC and the Philly area.  She won over the judges with her fluid technical competence, the taste and consistency of her espressos and cappuccinos and in the creativity exhibited in her signature drink, a "reverse" macchiato of fig-infused milk marked with espresso and served in glasses rimmed with hazelnut and raw sugar.

Andi Advances to Finals of Latte Art Competition

Andi was one of 26 baristas competing in the Millrock Latte Art Competition being held at Coffee Fest in DC.  Five baristas from Fridays and five from Saturday advanced to the finals to be held tomorrow.

Andi made the cut.  Andi will now face off against competitors not just from our region, but from across the country, including Portland OR, Seattle and Chapel Hill.

Coffee Fest Day 1

It's our first day at Coffee Fest in DC.  While Andi and Belle prepared for their Saturday competitions by evaluating today's competitors in the latte art and overall barista skills contests, Melanie appeared to impress the judges in the signature drink competition.

Her signature drink was the "Aldo Alexander" - brandy and creme de cacao flavorings, espresso and half-and-half with a sprinkle of fresh-ground nutmeg.

Dear Alpo: About Your Musical Taste, Blog Breath...

As a followup to our post on the PG's Songs About Pittsburgh contest, we've received some interesting email.

There's a general rule of retail marketing that suggests you never take sides and don't create issues that might cause anyone to dislike you.  Seems in some people's minds we crossed the line on the song competition.  In addition to being a cafe, we're people too and we do have opinions.

We continue to believe there's plenty to sell about Pittsburgh without having to rely on mentioning the Steelers.  We love it here, even during the seven months that Big Ben is biking helmetless instead of playing QB. 

That said, we're going to take the rare step of changing our critique of Jimmy Sapienza's "I Love Pittsburgh" because we've learned there are like a zillion versions of it, some of which don't mention the Steelers or any other sports team. 

So we're happy to announce that Jimmy's fan club - and Jimmy - can rest easy because we're changing our vote and throwing it behind "I Love Pittsburgh".  We've also offered an invite for Jimmy to perform here.

Granted, we still haven't heard many of the versions without the sports teams mentioned.  But we're an Italian coffeehouse and Jimmy is Italian and that's gotta count for something.  Capice?

Mid-Atlantic Barista Championships This Weekend

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Barista Championships are taking place tomorrow through Sunday during Coffee Fest in DC.  We have a team traveling down to DC tonight.

Belle will be competing against 19 other baristas for All-Around Honors and a custom engraved iPod.  We're the only Pittsburgh joint in the competition.  There are two other coffeehouses from PA (Easton & Fleetwood), five from Maryland, four from North Carolina, two each from DC and Virginia, one each from Joisey, Idaho and California (from San Dimas no less... do Bill and Ted have something up their sleeve?)

In addition to Belle, Andi will be competing for Best Latte Art and Melanie will be competing for Best Signature Drink.

Whether or not any of our staff ends up with hardware doesn't matter to us as much as seeing them exhibit their dedication to making great espresso.  All of our staff is encouraged to work hard to get to the level where they can compete nationally.  Several others could have gone down and competed this week, but we need people to work, so we're leaving the shop in the capable hands of Lois, Cara, Petra, Therese and the new kids, Frank and Lauren.  We already know Lois is going to Vegas later this year to compete herself. 

We wish everyone the best of luck.

Singing About Pittsburgh - Do We Need This?

This morning the PG wants us to vote among five songs that will become the new 'anthem' for Pittsburgh.  The idea seems to be to have one of these songs adopted in time for this summer's All-Star Game.  Millions of people - all potential tourists - will have this song in their ears and on their lips creating a cascading crescendo of renewed pride in our town.

To frame this competition, the PG provided a list of popular city songs (what, no "Dirty Water???").  Unfortunately, there's not an "I Left My Heart in PNC Park" or "I'm in a Pittsburgh State of Mind" among the entries below.  We listened to all five.  Here are our thoughts:

"Pittsburgh" - the 30 second long intro, with a Sly Stone "Family Affair" groove, seems like it was done for one of those WTAE commercials where the smiling anchors are placed in various landmarks around town.  Some lyric snippets:  "Where you can catch a game on the shores of fame, and catch a night in a city so bright"... "You can go to the Strip and move your hips."  "You've got a friend in PA and Pittsburgh too."  Triple yoi.

"The Pride of Pittsburgh" - sounds like something the Convention & Visitors Bureau hired an ad agency to do.  The very first line refers to the "City of Champions".  The cliches pile up from there.

"This Place Where I Come From" - now we're getting somewhere.  Interesting imagery of barges and rivers and industry.  Small towns, valleys, farmlands... getting it done.  It has sort of Mellencamp feel to it in both lyrical and musical construction.  You couldn't see Tony Bennett singing it, but you could see Springsteen (or Joe Gruschecky) giving it a go. 

"I Love Pittsburgh" - this is live recording by Jimmy Sapienza, opens by mentioning every other town's signature song, then immediately lists every Pittsburgh sports team.  Is that what we're selling?  Jimmy sings that "You can ride the subway" without mentioning you can only do so from the South Hills.  Lyrics like "big time with a small town heart" will win some fans.  There's a bit of a boozy lounge feel to the song and if it became popular, it would be a karaoke hit.  "Look a pothole."

"Shot and a Beer Town" - if it were George Thorogood or Tom Waits performing this 15 years ago, it would've been a hit.  This is a pretty good song.  "In this shot and a beer town, people keep on toiling, the bridges shine just over the Kensington sky".  It's the type of song you'd expect to hear on an album like "Nebraska".  However, it's not the kind of happy, bouncy singalong tune that you'd use to promote a city.  It's too introspective and thoughtful for that - and you'd want to listen to it with a shot and a beer.

Give a listen and vote for your favorite.

Shucks. We Didn't Win Powerball. We Can't Buy the Pirates.

Which means we won't be opening up 165 new Aldo Coffee locations this year.  We won't be trying to rename PNC Park or building the Aldo Coffee Igloo for the Pens.

Somebody in Nebraska won.  It seems they were the only winner of the $365 million.

With that kind of money, could you buy Nebraska?

Hopefully the winners will use a good chunk of their winnings to do something that benefits a lot of people.  Hopefully something that creates jobs and opportunities.   But not all of it - we'd save a couple million for world travel and retirement.

Better luck next drawing.